Parables of Jesus

Many of Jesus’ teachings come in the form of parables. Why does Jesus teach in parable form? Are the parables that Jesus teaches straightforward or do they have an underlining meaning? “Jesus often introduced the parables by saying, “The kingdom of God may be compared to” and then went on to tell a common story or give a well-known illustration from life in the world about Him, without giving a direct clue as to the true meaning of the parable” (Kiehl, 1981) Jesus “explains that he speaks in parables because those who lack understanding – false disciples – fall under the judgement of losing understanding (parables puzzle them)” (Gundry, 2012, pp. 209-210). Jesus uses parables in His teachings to impart wisdom to other believers. Jesus’…

I believe the first and most compelling reason that Jesus frequently used parables can be explained by the era in which he was a man, in those times most information was spread by word of mouth and folklore. The word Parable is defined as “a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson, as told by Jesus in the Gospels (Merriam-Webster)”. However, these “stories” should be viewed as the direct word of Jesus. The bible viewed as the word and parable of Jesus Christ, however, written…

c. In Simply Jesus, Wright explains the reasoning behind Jesus using parables as a method to paint a divine picture of what was happening right now; What life would look like with God as king through storytelling to reveal the character and redeeming qualities of God. The beauty and vision of His kingdom could be demonstrated through the telling of the parables and would also let people know that the kingdom is here. His teaching suggested that the time to repent and rejoice is not a future…

Miracles, parables, and the life of Jesus Christ. The Gospels encompass the work, life, and teachings of the Son of God. Jesus did miraculous work to show the people around him his true identity. Christ preached to crowds of thousands, his message heard throughout the land even after he rose to his father in heaven. All of these events have been recorded in the four Gospels in the New Testament. The authors, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, all capture the extraordinary life of Jesus Christ from…

During his time of popular ministry, Jesus traveled throughout Israel, and as he traveled he taught. His teachings were recorded by his disciples and are comprised for modern readers in the New Testament, specifically the synoptic Gospels. In general, the parables teaching about the coming kingdom of God, and are fictional stories used to answer questions either asked by one of the disciples, scribes and Pharisees, and in come cases just a member of the crowd. Many of the parables overlap appear…

Jesus, in his Sermon on the Mount, uses “Mammon” to illustrate two opposing kinds of vision in vs. 22 & 23 (Kroeker, 2009). Interesting to note that in verse 22 the word used is healthy, which in this context refers to generous, so unhealthy in verse 23 would have the opposite meaning, stingy. So, as we saw in the Luke passage above, holding on to one’s wealth does not guarantee you happiness; in fact, you “will be full of darkness” (vs. 23). Verse 24 is familiar to many, “No one can serve…

In the parable of the lost sheep, the shepherd loses one sheep out of his flock of 100. Jesus shares with the disciple’s about how even the one sheep mattered like the rest. This basically translates to the idea that everyone has value, everyone within Christ, is a part of His family. God sees us as worthy; he sees significance in us. Another great passage from The Bible is in 1 Corinthians, when Paul talks about how we make up the body of Christ. “If the whole body were an ear, where would the…

Jesus frequently utilized parables to communicate essential truths in a memorable and relatable format. The use of parables is not limited to reading or re-telling the parables of Jesus. When the disciples asked Jesus to “teach them how to pray” (Luke 11:1-13), Jesus responded by providing an example and a pattern which the disciples could understand then personalize. Jesus was providing a powerful example to the disciples, and modern Christians, about how to teach people by utilizing a…

The word “prodigal” originates from Latin roots that together mean “to drive forth.” It signifies the quality of one that drives forth his/her money by spending with reckless abandon, which is present in the Biblical parable the ”Prodigal Son.” A father has two sons, the younger desperately impatient to receive his inheritance. So, the prodigal son demands of his father to receive his inheritance before he passes away. In other words, the son diminishes the tragedy of his father’s eventual…

Although authority may seem tough, we learn from three sources that power has the decision to be whatever it wants, including compassionate. We will explore this position through three pieces of text including, “Beat Not the Poor Desk” by Marie Ponsot and Rosemary Deen, “The Prodigal Son” by Aesop and “Stockings” by Tim O’brien. Making connections to each piece, the goal is to reference one another on a common theme. In the short story text, “Beat Not the Poor Desk” by Marie Ponsot and…